A beautiful Friday morning sun filtered its way through the sheer grey curtains of the lush Greenwich apartment bedroom, filled with a few Sugababes posters. It was 6:10 am, and it was a special day for one of the workers at Perspective.
Miss Ines Carpenter’s birthday.
She stirred slightly, then opened her eyes. Gazing at her with a warm, playful grin on his face was Magnum, shirtless and looking as fine as could be. Of course, he had spent the night with her, intending to give her quite the ‘birthday princess’ treatment from the moment she woke up till the day was over.
Smiling softly, she yawned and stretched before glancing at him. “Hi.”
“Hi,” he responded.
She blinked at him, her soft smile still plastered to her face. “You’re up early. Watching me sleep, huh?”
A huge grin on his face, Magnum nodded. “Couldn’t help it, birthday girl. You’re too cute when you’re dreaming. Let me guess, you were dreaming about your first birthday gift, innit? You know, the 1 a.m. special?”
Ines giggled, her cheeks flushed with glee as she playfully pulled the blanket up to her chin. Once Magnum had come to stay the night, there were no prizes for guessing what the 1 a.m. special gift was.
“Mmmm, maybe. That gift was pure bliss, as expected. Didn’t think you’d start my birthday any other way, Magnum. You did what you always do: blow my mind.”
Magnum smirked. “Good,” he remarked before leaning in to kiss her gently on the lips, his hand brushing her cheek. As he pulled back, he murmured, “Happy birthday, Ines. For real, though—you make every day feel like a gift for me.”
Ines smiled, her eyes softening as she reached up to touch his face, her fingers tracing his jawline. “Thank you, love. I’m so happy we’re here, you know? When I joined Perspective, I never thought I’d fall for anyone this fast. I just wanted to get with a new team and do something exciting. Then I saw you and… you know, the rest is history. It’s been… what, a year now? Feels like we’ve been together forever.”
Magnum nodded. “Real talk, babes. The chemistry was instant. Like, ‘boom’! Fire from day one. Couldn’t avoid it if we tried.” He let out a chuckle. “I still remember our first kiss. On my life, Ross and Rachel had nothing on us. And those steamy quickies in the studio when no one was around? Flipping heck, that was some exciting danger!”
Ines burst out laughing, covering her face with her hands. “Oh my God, Magnum, that was some crazy shit we were on! Good lord, we were so reckless. But it was fun, though. I swear I can never forget how you used to fold me over that table and rail the shit out of me; fucking hell, that was the best sex I’ve ever had in my life, without a doubt. But yeah, we were right to stop, especially after Mickey found us. You might have had that favour with him, but we couldn’t risk anyone else in the team catching us in the editing room.”
Magnum shrugged. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. But I miss the thrill a little, I can’t lie.”
Ines rolled her eyes and sat up, stretching her arms above her head. “Please, Magnum, it’s still thrilling. That 1 a.m. special was thrilling.”
“Yeah, I know, but, breaking the rules… it’s a spicy ting, innit?”
Ines stifled a laugh. “Whatever, babe. We need to get up before we get too lazy for work. It’s my birthday, but the studio waits for no one.”
Magnum nodded as he climbed out of the bed. “True, true. Plus, knowing the team, they’ve probably got a surprise waiting for you. You know how they get—cake, balloons, the whole vibe.”
“Oh, I know, and I’m ready for it,” she declared, already excited at the thought. Birthdays in Perspective were often celebrated with aplomb, and she could not wait to see what the team would prepare for her. “Let’s go see what those lot have cooked up.”
As she rose to her feet, clad in nothing but an old camisole top, she glanced at her man, then smirked. “But, you do know nothing’s topping that 1 a.m. gift, right?”
Magnum folded his muscular arms, looking very sure of himself. “Of course I know that.”
“And you do know I’d love to make out in the shower, right?”
Magnum’s cocky look grew bigger. “I know that too, babes.”
“So you know you need to follow me into the bathroom, yeah?”
“Say less, babes. Take the lead. I’m right behind you.”
***
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, INES, YOU GORGEOUS QUEEN! Wooo! Here’s to you, my love—may your day be as wild as me and twice as fabulous!”
Ines cackled, grinning at Magnum as he drove through London’s bustling streets, heading for the studio as usual, with two Starbucks coffee cups and two Greggs sausage rolls sitting in the console between them. Their journey to work was turning out to be a blissful one. And busy as well.
They could barely get one song in before a call came through. From her parents to her older brothers to many of her friends, Ines was getting properly inundated with calls. Of course, as the birthday girl, it was to be expected.
On the phone now was her crazy friend Eileen. Loud, unapologetic, and dripping with the kind of chaotic energy that Ines and everybody else absolutely loved her for.
“Oh my God, Eileen, thank you! You’re too much, but I love it. How’s my favorite party animal doing?”
“Party animal? Babe, I’m a whole fucking zoo!” Eileen scoffed playfully over the line. “Listen, we’re celebrating proper tonight, yeah? You, me, the girls—full-on girls’ night. I’m talking shots, dancing, maybe one of my legendary drinking games. Are you ready for “Chug the Prosecco While Singing ABBA” again?”
Ines burst out laughing, glancing at Magnum, who was trying his best not to crack up as he kept his eyes on the road. Of course, Eileen wanted a girls’ night out; the Prime Minister would have to declare a national emergency if she said she wasn’t in the mood for a wild night on her best friend’s birthday.
“Eileen, you and your ridiculous games! Last time, you had us singing made-up songs about tequila. I’m not sure I can survive another one of your nights.”
“Oi, those songs are art, alright? And don’t act like you don’t love it. I’m a riot, and you know it. We’re hitting the town, Ines—no excuses. I’ll call you later to sort the details, yeah?”
Ines nodded, still laughing. “Alright, alright, you win. Let’s do it. Call me later, you wild thing.”
“That’s my girl! Love you, birthday babe! Talk soon!”
A few exaggerated kissing noises followed, and the call ended. Ines simply shook her head with a grin, while Magnum let out a loud laugh, glancing at her as they stopped at a traffic light.
“Yo, I swear down, yeah, Eileen is something else. A whole riot? Nah, that gyal’s a natural disaster. You sure you’re ready for her tonight?”
Ines giggled while leaning back in her seat, adjusting her sunglasses. “Oh, I know what I’m in for. Eileen’s wild, but she’s the best kind of chaos. Drinking contests, silly songs—she’ll probably have us doing karaoke to her made-up lyrics by midnight…”
***
It was about 1:35 pm, and Ines was seated at her desk in a small editing suite off the main studio, work mode fully activated as she furiously tweaked video clips for the team’s social media account. Her headphones blasting tunes from Lilly Allen, she was fully focused on the task at hand.
When she and Magnum arrived, a little fanfare had followed, with everyone hugging her and wishing her all the best. The outpouring of love was no less than she had expected, and she was deeply grateful for it all. Nonetheless, work had to be done.
A few minutes on, and she successfully finished a clip, saved it, and stretched, grabbing her Stanley Cup and taking a sip of water. She heads toward the main studio, expecting the usual chaos of the team prepping for a shoot. As she pushes open the door, she freezes, her eyes widening.*
The main studio had been transformed while she was busy. A table sat in the middle of the room, decked out with a massive chocolate cake, its icing scrawled with “Happy Birthday, Ines!” in bright pink. Bouquets of sunflowers and roses surrounded the cake across the table, and streamers in every color hang from the ceiling.
The entire Perspective crew was gathered around, grinning ear to ear, along with a few familiar faces to Ines.
Sohna was one of those faces, as was Pokua, who stood beside her father, looking excited at the prospect of being present at this birthday party. Another one of them was her friend Lena, a British DJ based in Manchester, whom the boys often called the ‘coolest babe on the planet’, and Dena Shaikh, a bespectacled British-Pakistani woman with a soft smile, who was Ines’ close colleague back in her old job.
“Surprise! Happy birthday, Ines!”
Ines clapped her hands over her mouth, laughing as her eyes welled up. She knew something like this was coming up, but the expectation didn’t lessen the good feeling of it all. As she stepped forward, she found herself swarmed with hugs from the team, with Magnum sneaking in an extra squeeze with a proud grin.
“Magnum, there’s a kid in the room, for chrissakes!”
Everyone laughed at Simba’s playful retort at Magnum’s extra squeeze. Even Magnum, who shot him an evil look, clearly resisting the urge to flip the bird at him for Pokua’s sake.
As she hugged Lena, her friend gushed, “Happy birthday, my girl! So glad to be here to spend this moment with you!”
“Thank you, my love!” Ines thanked her. “I’m so happy you made it all the way here!”
“Anything for you, babes! Besides, you know I love being around these guys. They’re the coolest!”
Ines laughed. “Of course, and they love you too, coolest babe in the world!”
She moved on to Sohna, who gave her another warm hug. “Happy birthday, darling. You’re glowing today. My dear emotional terrorist helped plan this, but I made sure they got your favorite flowers.”
Ines laughed, squeezing Sohna back. “Awww, thank you, Sohna! I really appreciate it. And listen, I’m gonna give Sahjee a strong word after this to stop terrorizing you, yeah?”
“I wouldn’t hold out much hope that she’ll listen to you, but I appreciate the effort.”
Laughing, she then turned to Dena, who stepped forward and held her hands. “Ines, happy birthday,” she uttered in her usual gentle voice. “May this year bring you so much joy, health, and love. You’re such a beautiful soul, and I’m so grateful to be here for you.”
Ines immediately pulled Dena into a tight hug, her voice thick with emotion as she held her close. “Awwww, Dena! You’re the sweetest human being I’ve ever known. Always have been, always will be. Thank you for being here—this means everything to me.”
“You’re welcome, darling. And you know I’ve got some updates on the latest happenings since you left, right?”
“Ohhhh, give me the tea later! I bet Nigel and Martin still aren’t talking after that whole promotion scam.”
“Oh, you’ll find out later. Don’t worry!”
As the room was filled with excited voices and laughter, the sound of a familiar video suddenly blared.
The famous Drillogram video.
Lena, who had her phone connected to the speakers, had a grin on her face. “I mean, the Happy Birthday song is so Silent Generation,” she quipped. “This is the real deal, you get me?”
Mickey, already hyped at the sound of the video, pointed at her. “And that, Miss Lena Haythorn, is why you are the coolest babe we know.”
The crew immediately gathered around Ines as the rap verse started, rapping along to it. The excitement built up as they neared the chorus, with the guys already hopping. Ines could not hold in her laughter at their almost-childlike behaviour.
“One, two, three, go–”
Who’s the birthday girl?
You’re the birthday girl
You’re the birthday girl
Who’s the birthday girl
You’re the birthday girl
Pop-pop-pop!
The chorus over, everyone cheered and laughed as they broke up the circle around the birthday girl, who could not stop laughing with delight.
“To Ines!” Mickey declared, his hands in the air. “Perspective’s queen of edits, Sugababes’ stan for eternity, and the only one who can keep us lot in line! Happy birthday, babes! We love you!”
Everyone applauded, echoing “Happy birthday!” and “We love you, Ines!”
Ines simply beamed, delighted to be surrounded by her friends and found family on this special day. She couldn’t be more grateful for a family as loving and awesome as this Perspective team.
What a blessing to have this team behind me…
Cute little celebration there for Miss Carpenter. It’s always great to have a team ride for you on your special day…
